"I want eighty percent."
"What?" Ichinose looked confused, her eyes widening slightly as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"Eighty percent of the profits your class gains through my actions."
Ichinose sat in her chair and carefully considered Onizuka's demand.
"Onizuka, this arrangement would certainly benefit us, but giving you eighty percent is impossible."
"We'd also have to take on the risks you might create through your actions, as well as any potential retaliation. The most I can offer is fifty percent."
Hearing her proposal, Onizuka couldn't help laughing. He seemed to think it was far too naive.
"Ichinose, you have to understand that the essence of this school is competition." He raised his chin slightly and looked at her with a firm gaze.
"While bringing your class benefits, I'll inevitably cause the other classes to lose the same number of Class Points."
Onizuka paused to give Ichinose enough time to think, then continued:
"In other words, every point you gain widens the gap by two points or even more. Asking for only eighty percent of the profits is more than fair."
"Eh??? Is that how it works???" Ichinose's thoughts were thrown into confusion by his argument. She struggled to make sense of his logic.
That kind of makes sense... Ichinose thought, but she still felt that something wasn't quite right.
Seeing that Ichinose was wavering, Onizuka pressed his advantage:
"Besides, you've said it yourself: I'm a member of Class D. They're my brothers, my closest friends."
"Anyway! Ichinose, you have to pay me more~"
"I need to think about it." Ichinose closed her eyes and covered her head with her hands, her voice hesitant.
In the end, with Hoshinomiya-sensei watching them with a strange expression, the two signed the following contract:
[Onizuka Tsukasa will freely assist Class B in gaining an advantage during the Special Exam over the break]
[Class B will transfer eighty percent of the resources it gains because of Onizuka Tsukasa, including losses it avoids, to Onizuka Tsukasa as payment, free of charge]
[Neither party to the contract nor the witness may disclose the contract's existence to anyone, by any means]
The next day, after school.
Chabashira-sensei walked up to Sudo, who was getting ready to go to Basketball Club practice, and stopped him.
"Sudo, come with me!"
Ignoring Sudo's complaints, Chabashira-sensei firmly led him toward the teachers' office.
Onizuka didn't leave. He needed to tell his Class D classmates about the alliance with Class B.
Hirata, Kushida, and Yukimura stayed in the classroom, along with Horikita and Ayanokoji.
Though Onizuka had called the meeting, he didn't do much to guide it.
After all, he was more of a messenger at this point. Almost all of the discussion focused on how to carry out this cooperation and what specific strategies to use.
Of course, Onizuka and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood to one side and watched.
Proposition speaker: Kikyo Kushida, who strongly recommended trusting the students of Class B. Supporter: Yosuke Hirata.
Opposition speaker: Horikita Suzune, who believed they had an ulterior motive and recommended caution. Supporter: Yukimura Teruhiko.
The debate only came to an abrupt end when Sudo returned to the classroom.
After several rounds of discussion, their opinions gradually converged. Though they still had plenty of concerns, they ultimately decided to cooperate with Class B.
After all, they had nothing left to lose, did they?
"What am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to do!!!!"
Sudo stormed into the classroom in a fit of panic, accidentally kicking over a chair by the door.
The chair toppled over with a dull thud.
Sudo didn't seem to realize he'd done anything excessive. His gaze was frantic, as if he needed something to vent his emotions on.
If he remembered correctly, the first seat by the classroom door...
Sure enough, Yukimura Teruhiko stared at the overturned chair with an expression like he was constipated.
(╬￣皿￣)...
Hirata had clearly noticed, too. He hurried over, trying to calm the agitated Sudo, and righted the chair as well.
He patted Sudo on the shoulder, his tone gentle but tinged with concern.
"Sudo, calm down. What happened? If you tell us, maybe we can help."
However, when Yukimura heard Hirata, he couldn't help clicking his tongue, a trace of impatience appearing on his face.
Seeing that there were so many people in the classroom, and that none of them were idiots like Ike or Yamauchi, Sudo calmed down a little.
He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, forcing himself to focus and recall what Chabashira-sensei had just told him. Then he slowly repeated it.
"Eh??? Suspension?" Hirata frowned slightly, clearly taken aback.
"It might turn into something even more serious..." Yukimura cut in, his tone calm, but so cold it sent a chill through the room.
"If the investigation goes badly, expulsion is also possible."
"It's possible. Once the investigation is over, things might turn out that way," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka added from the side.
At that point, Onizuka chimed in: "If you get expelled, things will get even more exciting."
Listening to Onizuka and Ayanokoji go back and forth, Sudo grew even paler. His body swayed slightly, as if he were gradually losing the strength to stand.
Onizuka realized that having a nasty personality could be pretty fun sometimes~
"Don't be like that!"
At last, Kikyo Kushida had had enough. She stood up and quickly stopped Onizuka and Ayanokoji, her voice urgent.
She went over to Sudo, carefully took him by the shoulders, and guided him to sit in a nearby chair.
She patiently reassured him: "Calm down, Sudo. We can find a way to deal with this. We won't let things come to the worst possible outcome."
With her help, Sudo let out a breath and tried to calm himself, but his eyes still held unease and confusion.
"You said you beat up the people from Class C? Three people, all by yourself? Why don't I see any injuries on you?"
Horikita Suzune voiced her doubts.
When Sudo saw that Horikita was talking to him, he calmed down a little. After glaring at Onizuka and Ayanokoji, he said:
"They were just too weak! I took all three of them down in no time! And they were the ones who started it!!"
"I was acting in self-defense!!"
The four people present then began analyzing Sudo's situation.
Meanwhile, Yukimura was munching on a handful of sunflower seeds he'd taken out from who knew where, and even thought about offering some to Onizuka, who was watching from the side too.
"That's enough already!!!!"
In the end, Sudo couldn't stand Yukimura's indifferent attitude and blew up.
"Do you realize this affects whether I can become an official player on the Basketball Club team and whether I can stay here? Take this seriously!"
The classroom fell silent at once, and everyone's eyes turned to Yukimura Teruhiko.
Yukimura seemed to have expected this. He shrugged, handed the sunflower seeds to Onizuka, picked up his schoolbag, and prepared to leave.
"This is your own problem, isn't it?"
He spoke unhurriedly, his tone carrying a trace of cold mockery. "What does it have to do with me? Have you forgotten what you've been doing in class these past two months?"
"Everyone else's business isn't your business, but now your business has become everyone's business?"
Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses, dropped that remark, and left the classroom.
Before everyone could recover, a familiar sound came from inside the classroom again.
Crunch, crunch...
Hearing the sound, everyone turned their gaze toward Onizuka.
Seeing their reaction, Onizuka showed no sign of stopping. He calmly said:
"What? Should I leave too?"